Content Area: Science (with art)
TEA Pre-K Guidelines:
VI.B.3. Child recognizes, observes, and discusses the relationship of organisms to their environments.
The child: observes, discusses, and records seasonal changes in the neighborhood trees and organisms.
VI.C.1 Child identifies, compares, discusses earth materials and their properties and uses.
The child: identifies the importance of soil, sunlight, air, and water to plant growth.
VIII.A.1 Child uses a variety of art materials and activities for sensory experience and exploration.
The child: creates artwork inspired by music.
VIII.B.1 Child participates in classroom music activities.
The child: sings about concepts learned in the curriculum (singing about planting seeds when the theme is gardening, transportation songs, etc.).
Song:
I Plant A Seed
(Sung to: I’m a Little Teapot)
I plant a little seed in the cold, cold ground.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down come the raindrops soft and slowly
Up comes the flower grow, grow, grow!
Found at: http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/spring/songs.htm
Video Info: Plant a Little Seed Song
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTm_roXBaU8
I chose to focus on gardening and the cycle a seed goes through to become a plant. In pre-k students learn about the world around them and plant growth is something they focus on. I chose to incorporate some of the art curriculum into the lesson by teaching about the cycle through the song, “I Plant a Seed”, which is sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”. This song can be sung using kinesthetic movements that help the children to get into the song and make sense of the words and the life cycle of a seed. It would be good to also read a picture book during the unit, such as Eric Carle’s The Tiny Seed. After learning and acting out the song, students would draw a picture to describe the life cycle as they see it. During the drawing time it may be effective to have the song playing on repeat so that they are hearing the cycle while drawing it, which would help to make students remember it better.
First off let me start by saying how cuuuutteee! The kids would love his lessons. They get to sing, dance, and color!I love how it incorporates the senses. It would be a great lesson to teach students about the cycle of a seed. They can connect the song and relate it to the cycle. If the lesson really sticks they will be able to remember the song and use it as a future reference (just like the the 50 states song etc) I liked how you integrated the art standards as well. I think it fit because you know how they are trying to reduce the arts. Using this in conjunction with Eric Carle is awesome. Overall this a great lesson. I think you could make a thematic unit out of this,
I loved the lesson plan and think it is a wonderful way to get students excited about learning. I especially liked the idea of the song playing in the background as they draw the cycle because it is a great way to reinforce the concept and will help them remember the song better. I also liked the idea of using kinesthetic movements as they learn the song. You did a great job of making connections to different content. Awesome job!